15.8.13

Panama City Beach Talks Trolley Service Funding

The Bay County Transportation Planning Organization is requesting more funding from the municipalities that use the Bay Town Trolley service in fiscal year 2014.

The request has drawn mixed reactions county wide, but one city council is happy to oblige.

In 2013, Panama City Beach gave the TPO roughly $29,000 dollars to help fund operations; but now, the TPO needs $6,400 dollars more.

It brings the total to $35,338 dollars they are requesting the beach give in order to keep the wheels on the trolley rolling.

The trolley service faces a 250 thousand dollar shortfall in 2014.

The news wasn't incredibly popular among Bay County Commissioners last week, who questioned the funding hike and the efficiency of a service desiring about $92,000 more in total than 2013.

The Beach says it supports the increase and is happy to fund it, adding that the trolley service is vital to beach employees that often travel from the other side of the bridge.

"The city of Panama City Beach has the greatest ridership of the trolley of all of the other cities, and so we appreciate the fact that those trolleys bring people from other parts of the county to work in our businesses and shop in our stores," said Mayor Gayle Oberst...